Haryana RS polls: BJP's Bhatia, Cong’s Boudh win as counting goes past midnight; 5 Cong MLAs 'cross-vote'

CHANDIGARH: (Mar 17) BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Karamvir Singh Boudh of the Congress were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana after the counting for the keenly-watched twin seats went past midnight following allegations of violation of vote secrecy by both sides, officials said on Tuesday.

Five votes were declared invalid – four of the Congress and one of the BJP, they said.

While BJP’s Bhatia (58) is a former Lok Sabha MP from Karnal, Boudh (61) is a retired Haryana government employee and a prominent Dalit activist, currently serving as the coordinator of the National Scheduled Castes Department of the Congress.